Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Executive Summary
Every three years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) updates NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical
Safety in the Workplace. In recent years, the standard has become increasingly stringent in response to
the increased understanding of electrical accidents in industrial plants and facilities. Because of the severe
and often devastating consequences of arc flash incidentswhich claim one life every workdayNFPA, along
with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), is mandating and enforcing safer electrical
work practices.
Industrial facilities and plants are often challenged when it comes to making electrical safety policy changes
in order to keep up with the new requirements. However, making every effort to comply is essential to
avoiding costly fines, as well as protecting a facilitys equipment and its greatest asset: its employees.
With the assistance of a well-qualified, professional electrical engineering or electrical testing service
provider, facilities can efficiently and cost-effectively evaluate, update, and maintain their electrical safety
programs to ensure compliance and a safe work environment for employees.
NO
Thermal hand
protection is
required.
Go to arc flash
risk assessment.
NO
Go to arc flash
risk assessment.
Figure 2. The thermal risk assessment process for a battery system illustrates how the likely exposure depends on the type
of task being performed.
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1 Preventive Maintenance
2 Arc Flash Risk Assessment
3 Labeling and Hazard Communication Plan
4 Design and Methods Review
5 Accurate Single-Line Diagrams
6 Short Circuit and Coordination Studies
Safety Program
7 Electrical
Review/Development
Flash Training Program and PPE
8 Arc
Plan Development
9 Documentation
10 Periodic Reviews
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Preventive Maintenance
An optimized preventive maintenance strategy
evaluates the condition of your equipment and
determines the most cost-effective and manageable
solution to ensure the equipments overall
performance, safety and reliability. By maintaining
all electrical equipment, you can help ensure worker
safety and prevent unplanned downtime. NFPA
70E specifically requires maintenance for electrical
equipment and overcurrent protection devices to
help mitigate arc flash hazards.
Such equipment would include:
Substations, switchgear assemblies,
panelboards, motor control centers,
disconnect switches
Insulated conductors, grounds and busduct
Transfer switches and control equipment
Circuit breakers
Protective relays
Motors and generators
Equipment in hazardous locations
Batteries and battery rooms
Portable electric tools and equipment
Personal safety and protective equipment
including electrical gloves, hot sticks, and
flash suits
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Documentation
Periodic Reviews
The 2015 edition of NFPA 70E clarified the intent
of and suggested frequency for periodic reviews/
updates of arc flash assessment information and
worker training programs. Such reviews can
help maintain ongoing compliance with arc flash
standards, practices and regulations, and ensure
that any changes, modifications or expansions to
an electrical distribution system meet the latest
arc flash requirements.
Per the standard, the arc flash assessment must be
reviewed whenever significant changes are made
to the system, or at most, every five years. The
corporate safety policy must be reviewed every
three years to stay in compliance with the latest
updates to NFPA 70E. Individual worker reviews,
or audits, must be performed annually, and the
results must be documented. If these audits find
that the principles and procedures of the electrical
safety program are not being followed, appropriate
revisions to the training program or revisions to
procedures must be made.
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Conclusion
Electrical power has always come with risks, and potential hazards, including arc flash, are on the rise.
Organizations such as OSHA and NFPA have become increasingly proactive about providing and enforcing
guidelines and standards for mitigating the risk and ensuring worker safety. The most recent version of NFPA
70E requires facility owners and managers to revise and update safety policies, including performing power
system studies to calculate and document arc flash risks.
Compliance with the revised standards can be a challenge for many major power users and industrial facilities.
However, partnering with a qualified electrical service provider to evaluate, update, and maintain safe work
practices can help industrial facilities and power users make great strides in implementing best practices for
protecting their people, their businesses, and their bottom lines.
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